"Bruno Banani is also an Olympic luger from Tonga. Surprisingly, this matching of names is not a coincidence: Banani (the racing luger) and Banani (the racy underwear) have combined to create a situation at the Sochi Games that is a uniquely Olympic blend of underdog inspiration crossed with strident capitalism.
The back story, at least the nonunderwear part of it, sounds like something out of a movie. A Polynesian who does not even know what luge is and has never lived a day in his life with a temperature colder than 60 degrees hears a radio advertisement announcing a national search for Tonga’s first winter Olympian. He shows up for the tryout, wows the panel and goes on to make history. It is a one-man version of the Jamaican bobsled team and the film “Cool Runnings,” but for luge.
The rest of the tale, though, is where it turns bizarre. Makai, a global company that highlights its “experiential marketing,” coordinated the search for a winter athlete in 2008 because one of its executives had a connection with the Tongan royal family. Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita wanted to see an athlete from her country compete at the Winter Games.
Banani, who was known then by his original name, Fuahea Semi, beat about 30 other hopefuls in a tryout that included fitness testing, a run through an obstacle course and a short ride on a luge with wheels down a slope that was not much steeper than the typical driveway. Shortly after being chosen, Banani said, Makai officials explained to him that luge was an expensive sport and that he would most likely need a sponsor to help cover costs.
http://app.nytimes.com/#2014/02/07/sports/lugers-name-matches-the-one-on-his-waistband
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